Leaked documents to Deadspin.com show the Panthers had $112 million in profits the past two fiscal years. The Panthers said the documents are an "incomplete picture."

With all the accounting tricks out there, businesses can photo-shop financial reports to fit any agenda. The fact is few people could tell you the Panthers' real picture. And if they did, Richardson would have to kill them.

As private entities, NFL teams have a legal right to not disclose their financials. But when you are rolling in public dough, taxpayers have a moral right to see what's going on.

Players wanted to know during the 2011 collective bargaining negotiations. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, even asked the NFL to open its books.

"Don't keep secrets," Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, wrote in a Washington Post editorial. "If there are financial pressures that keep you from agreeing to the revenue-sharing plan proposed by the players, let's see the proof."

Such arrogance and deception comes from Richardson's negotiating experience. Politicians dread the thought of losing an NFL team, so they show up with their checkbooks ready.

I used to be on board with that. If Wal-Mart and BMW got massive tax breaks to do business in a particular city, why shouldn't a major football business?

Then the economy tanked. Everyone took a hit except federal workers and sports leagues. We can only guess how well the NFL has managed, since the publicly owned Green Bay Packers are the only team required to disclose financial data.